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WINE COUNTRY NEWSW I N E CO U N T RY T H I S W E E KTOLOSA WINERYDedicated to Producing Quality Winesby Dave WilcoxPerhaps it’s Bob Schiebelhut’s backgroundas a lawyer that influences theattention to detail at Tolosa Winery,which he co-founded ten years ago.From the estate-grown grapes picked toproduce Tolosa’s wines – only the top tenpercent grown in its Edna Valley vineyards areselected – to the design of its sleek tastingroom that echoes the shapes and materialsseen throughout the winery, it’s clear Tolosaembraces details from vineyard to bottle.Indeed, “from the vineyard to the cellar iskind of the theme here,” said John Shakley,who holds the job description of concierge atTolosa. Shakley is organizing guided educationaltours for Tolosa visitors that areexpected to begin during the holiday season.Started ten years ago by partnersSchiebelhut and Jim Efird – one, a corporatelawyer and self-taught winemaker, the other, apioneering viticulturist – Tolosa is now one ofthe premier wineries on the Central Coast.Schiebelhut and Efird both grew up onfarms outside Fresno and they both came tothe San Luis Obispo region in the 1970s.6Schiebelhut established a successful law practice,while Efird planted Paragon Vineyards,eventually planting most of the region’s vineyards.Schiebelhut, whose wines earned tophonors at the California State Fair and theMid-State Fair before launching Tolosa, partneredwith Efird in 1990.“Jim was very highly regarded as themanager of nearly all the vineyards in thevalley,” notes Schiebelhut, “so when wedecided to plant a vineyard we went to him.”In 2000, the partners hired Larry Brooks asa consulting winemaker. Brooks, who madehis name at Acacia and later founded EchelonVineyards while with The Chalone WineGroup.Tolosa maintains its niche as a small estatewinery – annual production tops out at about25,000 cases – although its productioncapacity is close to 250,000 cases.That’s not about to change.“We like to keep it at 25,000,” said TamiCarija, Tolosa’s marketing director.“We are dedicated to quality alone,” saysSchiebelhut. “We knew if we kept it small wecould make a very special brand over the longterm.”Tolosa is named for historic Mission Sanwww.winecountrythisweek.comLuis Obispo de Tolosa, which was founded in1772 and established the region’s first vineyards.The winery’s barrel-select and limitedproductionwines are bottled under the“1772” label.The winery cultivates five vineyardsencompassing approximately 720 acres in aregion that’s earned a reputation for producingworld-class Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.Collectively, the vineyards are known as EdnaRanch. Half of Tolosa’s vineyards are plantedto Chardonnay, while 40 percent grow PinotNoir. Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grismake up most of the remaining ten percent.Only five miles from the Pacific Ocean,Tolosa’s vineyards enjoy a longer growingseason than even other coastal regions. Typicallywarm days are cooled by a layer ofevening fog that creeps up the valley from thecoast. It is ideal climate conditions for growingChardonnay and Pinot Noir. Both Schiebelhutand Brooks, the winemaker, are Pinotphilesdetermined to craft exceptional wines usingthe finicky grape.One of Tolosa’s most intriguing wines,however, is its No-Oak Chardonnay. The2006 vintage earned 90 points from WineEnthusiast magazine.